Investments
Motilal Oswal PE plans $59m impact investment fund
Motilal Oswal Private Equity plans to raise an impact investment fund with a corpus of INR2.5-3 billion ($47-59 million) that will target socially relevant businesses.
Aditya Birla PE invests $10m in Olive Bar & Kitchen
Aditya Birla Private Equity has invested $10 million in Olive Bar & Kitchen, a Mumbai-based hospitality firm that runs a chain of fine-dining restaurants across India.
Italian PE fund backs Indian Hotels in $1.9b Orient-Express bid
Montezemolo & Partners, an Italian family-owned private equity firm, and Indian Hotels (IH), India’s biggest accommodation provider, have launched a $1.86 billion takeover bid for Orient-Express Hotels (OEH), a Bermuda-based hotel chain.
Tech-focused US M&A advisor sets up in Seoul
J. Moore Partners, a technology-focused investment bank based in San Francisco, has opened an office in Seoul as part of plans to expand into Asia. It claims to be the first US technology M&A advisory firm to establish a presence in the city.
CVC backs Australia's Mantra in Asia expansion
CVC Capital Partners will back Australian hotel group Mantra as it expands into Indonesia, Thailand and Papua New Guinea.
CHAMP PE-backed oOh!media walks away from Eye Corp buyout
CHAMP Private Equity’s oOh!media portfolio company has decided not to proceed with its buyout of Eye Corp, Ten Network Holdings’ outdoor advertising business. This comes despite Ten’s denial earlier this week that the acquisition price would be...
Blackstone seals India’s largest commercial real estate deal – report
The Blackstone Group has reportedly secured the biggest commercial real estate deal in India to date, acquiring a 50% stake in a portfolio of three business parks for $200 million.
China Renaissance targets $750m for fund III
China Renaissance Capital Investment (CRCI) is targeting $750 million for its third fund. China Harvest Fund III will make growth capital investments in Chinese companies, taking equity stakes of up to $75 million.
Li Ning founder sells 25% in TPG-backed sportswear retailer
Chinese former Olympic gymnast Li Ning has agreed to sell a 25% stake in the sportswear company that bears his name – and counts TPG Capital among its investors – to Viva China, a Hong Kong-listed talent management agency. A company wholly owned by...
Jungle Ventures launches $10m 'super angel' fund
Jungle Ventures, a Singapore-based investment firm, has launched a new "super angel” fund, which has raised an initial $10 million to be invested in start-ups across Asia.
Start-up investment: Fallen angels
The scarcity of seed capital in most of Asia has left the region’s entrepreneurs crying out for angel investors. What’s stopping them from flooding in?
SCPE thirsty for $32m Indian bottler deal
Despite its mammoth population - almost half of which is below the age of 30 – the per-capita consumption of soft drinks in India is one of the lowest in the world. For companies such as Varun Beverages (VBIL), which received an INR1.7 billion ($32...
Affinity secures first Indonesia deal
Regional buyout firms have struggled to gain traction in Indonesia. In some cases, private equity investors have opened offices in Jakarta or Singapore and, years later, still haven’t a deal to their name. Affinity Equity Partners is no longer part...
Great expectations: Buyout firms in Southeast Asia
Global buyout firms are deploying more resources in Southeast Asia and expect to see stronger deal flow. But are there enough mid- to large-size transactions to go around, and will they come at reasonable prices?
VCs invest $1.2m in Japanese website Retty
GREE ventures, NTT investment Partners and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have jointly invested JPY100 million ($1.2 million) into Retty, a Japanese social restaurant guide.
Singapore PE fund in $600m deal to buy Next Media assets
A Singaporean private equity fund is part of a consortium looking to pay NT$17.5 billion ($600 million) for various Taiwanese media assets owned by Hong Kong-listed Next Media.
CVC-backed Nine avoids receivership as lenders reach agreement
Lenders to CVC Capital Partners-backed Nine Entertainment, the beleaguered Australian TV network, have reached an agreement to save the company from being put into administration.
IFC to anchor Fosun Pharma’s Hong Kong IPO
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, is expected to anchor Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical’s Hong Kong IPO alongside Prudential Financial. The total cornerstone commitment is $75 million out of a targeted $600...
PE-backed Samhi invests in Accor-owned Indian hotel chain
Samhi Investments has acquired a 60% stake in Barque Hotels, the company that owns 15 Formule 1 hotels in India, from French hospitality group Accor.
China Private Equity restructures Australia securities platform investment
China Private Equity Investment Holdings (CPE), an AIM-listed vehicle that claims to offer European investors exposure to Chinese private equity without the limitations imposed by closed-end funds, has restructured its investment in Australian online...
PE consortium in $330m take-private bid for China's Yongye
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) and Abax Global Capital are backing a $330 million bid by the chairman of Yongye International to take private the US-listed Chinese animal and plant feed maker.
Japan’s J-Star sees 3x return on Apo Plus Station
Mid-market Japanese GP J-Star has sold its majority stake in the pharma-focused contract sales company Apo Plus Station (APS) to Qol, a Tokyo-based pharmaceutical firm.
Shares in Baring-backed Courts up 7.1% following IPO
Shares in Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) portfolio company Courts Asia rose by more than 7% following its Singapore IPO last Monday.
Panorama leads Series D round for Skyfire’s Asia expansion
Panorama Capital has led a $10 million Series D round of funding for Skyfire, intended help the mobile video optimization and cloud solutions company expand in Asia.